Meghan Markle's Wedding Nail Polish Adhered to Royal Protocol
Breaking rules? Not today.

Welp, guys, Meghan Markle is officially a royal—or, to be specific, the Duchess of Sussex. And though rumors and speculation have run rampant for months as to how she would wear her hair or do her makeup, I wanted to know what she’d do with her nails.
Yes, it seems like such a minor detail, but when you consider the fact that the close-up shot of Harry and Meghan exchanging rings would be seen ‘round the world a billion times over, a manicure doesn’t seem so trivial anymore. And finally, her nails have been revealed: Meghan Markle choose a subtle, pale-pink polish for her neutral nail look.
Historically, royal protocol discourages bright, distracting nail polishes, so it’s not surprising that Meghan didn’t push the rules on her wedding day.
Though we don’t have a confirmed nail polish shade or manicurist responsible, we do know that the Queen’s favorite nail polish is Essie’s iconic nail polish in Ballet Slippers (opens in new tab), which she’s been wearing since 1989, when her then-hairstylist sent her a bottle of the sheer-pink shade to try.
So perhaps Meghan took cues from the Queen (not a bad idea, tbh) and opted for the same shade, or maybe followed Kate Middleton’s lead and used the same Essie Nail Polish in Allure that she wore to her wedding in 2011.
Either way, Meghan looked beautiful with a twisted updo, compliments of hairstylist Serge Normant, a subtle smoky eye and dewy skin from makeup artist Daniel Martin, and, of course, her custom Givenchy wedding dress.
We’ll keep updating this story with details as they come, so check back!
Follow along here (opens in new tab) as we report on the royal wedding in real-time—from the dress to the tiara to Harry and Meghan's most adorable moments.
Chloe Metzger is the deputy beauty director at Cosmopolitan, overseeing the editorial content and growth strategy of the hair, makeup, and skin space on digital, while also obsessively writing about the best hair products for every hair type (curly girl here; whattup), and the skincare routines that really, truly work (follow her on Instagram to see behind-the-scenes pics of that magazine life). She brings nearly a decade of writing and editing expertise, and her work has appeared in Allure, Health, Fitness, Marie Claire, StyleCaster, and Parents. She also has an unhealthy adoration for Tom Hanks and would like to please meet him one day, if you could arrange that. Thanks.
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